Latest Catastrophe Headlines

All the headlines from our Catastrophe Topic Page, ordered by recency.

ISO: Insurers to Pay Policyholders $2.1 Billion for Q1 Catastrophe Losses

Apr 29 2005 // U.S. property/casualty insurers are expected to pay homeowners and businesses an estimated $2.1 billion for insured property-loss claims from eight catastrophes in the first quarter, according to preliminary estimates by...

Climatologist Cautions Peach-State Residents to Be Prepared for Hurricanes

Apr 28 2005 // “The seasonal hurricane outlook should have no impact on hurricane plans,” David Stooksbury, the Georgia state climatologist cautioned the Governor’s Emergency Management Conference at the Savannah...

S. Fla. Forecaster Suggests Link Between Hurricane Behavior, May Rainfall

Apr 28 2005 // A link between the behavior of hurricanes and the amount of rain that falls in South Florida in May has been suggested by Jim Lushine, a meteorologist and weather forecaster at the National Weather Service in...

The Hartford Notes 17% Gain in Q1 Net Income

Apr 28 2005 // The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. set a new quarterly record with net income of $666 million, or $2.21 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2005, a 17-percent increase over the prior-year period. Net income...

PIFC Comments on Calif. Earthquake Authority’s Financial Stability

Apr 28 2005 // The following statement was released by Dan Dunmoyer, president of the Personal Insurance Federation of California, in response to comments made by California State Treasurer Phil Angelides at the California Earthquake...

Nearly Half of Large and Mid-Sized U.S. Businesses Buy Terror Coverage, Marsh Study Finds

Apr 28 2005 // Nearly half of large and mid-sized U.S. businesses obtained insurance to cover property terrorism risks during 2004, a dramatic increase from the 2003 average of 27 percent. Meanwhile, the cost of property terrorism...

EQECAT Issues U.S Hurricane Model Challenge

Apr 26 2005 // Richard Clinton, president of Oakland Calif.-based EQECAT, a leading authority on extreme-risk modeling, announced an initiative aimed at comparing its models of the 2004 hurricane events for Florida exposure against the...

Crawford & Co. Reports a Disappointing First Quarter

Apr 25 2005 // Atlanta-based Crawford & Co., a large independent provider of claims management solutions to insurance companies and self-insured entities has announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31,...

Simulated Exercises Teach Homeowners How to Prepare for Hurricanes

Apr 22 2005 // Widespread hurricanes have blown through several Florida cities during the past several days, and Hurricane Armando, a simulated hurricane, is expected to hit Tallahassee April 23. Florida American Red Cross and Emergency...

AIG Consultants Launches Business Protection Unit

Apr 21 2005 // AIG Consultants Inc., a member company of American International Group, announced the launch of its Business Protection Division. The new unit, which was developed in tandem with AIG Corporate Security and AIG Global...

Fla. ‘Sales Tax Holiday’ Proposed to Encourage Hurricane Preparations

Apr 21 2005 // With the beginning of the hurricane season six weeks away, Florida residents are scurrying to be ready to batten-down-the-hatches: Florida legislators are about to pass a “sales tax holiday” to enable consumers...

University Researchers Design Computer Model to Predict Hurricane Damages

Apr 21 2005 // A computer modeling system has been developed by two university researchers to predict the annual damage done by hurricanes, based on wind patterns over the land and sea in July, to predict whether damages will be greater...

Passage of Highway Safety, Terrorism Exclusion Legislation Highlight 2005 Idaho Legislative Session

Apr 21 2005 // Idaho’s 2005 legislative session was marked as much by what legislation was passed as by what was not passed, according to the American Insurance Association (AIA). “Idaho legislators and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne...

Fla. Legislature Mulls Over Insurance Proposals, Sessions End in Three Weeks

Apr 20 2005 // With three weeks remaining before the end of the 2005 sessions of the Florida Legislature, it appears that only a few insurance-related proposals have made it through the process of elimination. Remaining proposals...

Aon: Businesses Must Not Ignore Terrorism Risk

Apr 19 2005 // Regardless of whether or not the U.S. Federal Government authorizes an extension to TRIA (Terrorism Risk Insurance Act) beyond the end of this year, terrorism remains a very real threat and should not be ignored. According...

Treasury Check

Apr 18 2005 // At a recent gathering of New York independent agents and executives in Westchester, a well-respected insurance company executive proceeded to give his impressions of what is happening in Washington with regard to the...

Experts Report Commercial Property Terrorism Modeling Getting Better

Apr 18 2005 // Insurance companies are getting a better handle on how to estimate commercial property terrorism exposures and price the coverage thanks to advances in computer modeling. Despite the strides made in modeling to estimate...

European Nations Offer Lessons in Insuring Catastrophes and Terrorism

Apr 18 2005 // GAO Study Explores Examples of How Public-Private Insurance Partnerships Operate A new U.S. government report indicates that the private U.S. insurance industry would be placed under enormous strain without government...

Entrepreneurial Spirit and Trust: Marks of Today’s Successful MGA

Apr 18 2005 // An Interview with Francis Johnson, AAMGA President-Elect Francis Johnson, president of Johnson and Johnson Inc., of Charleston, South Carolina, becomes president of the American Association of Managing General Agents in...

Insurers Tell Senate Panel of Possible Long-Term Terrorism Insurance Solution; Urge Swift Action

Apr 14 2005 // In testimony today before the Senate Banking Committee, Ernie Csiszar, president and chief executive officer of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, outlined possible components of a long-term terrorism...